remember what else
I had sketched. I would need to look as soon as I could.
I knew Ryan was trying to make light of it and get me to smile,
but it just wasn’t happening. No matter how many references he made to
shredding his own face, complaining about a splitting headache right before
shredding another copy, or saying he liked the angle better when he picked up
one sketch upside down, I never could crack a smile for him. We took one last
look around after we had shred all the pages, and he was confident we’d gotten
them all.
Ryan insisted on walking me back to my office and had picked up
the bag I dropped along the way. It was hard to make eye contact with him after
I realized he now knew that I drew him. I knew he was my friend, and he seemed
to be handling it pretty well that his face was plastered all over the office,
but I still couldn’t look at him. I just wanted him to leave so I could check
on my other personal sketches.
“I know it’s just a sketch, and, well, it’s just what you do.” He
shrugged one shoulder. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, either, but it was
still really good. Did you have to make my nose look so big, though?” He put
his hand up to his nose.
“I don’t think it looks big.”
“Ah, she speaks. I was beginning to wonder if you shredded your
tongue along with all that paper.” He rocked back on his heels, smiling as if he
just won something. He grew serious and looked at me. “Really, Rebecca, it’s
okay that you sketched me.” He leaned forward a little. “Do you want me to
sketch you in return?”
I tried and failed to suppress a smile that time. “You told me
that’s what they hired me for and you can’t draw. I think I’ll skip that, but
thanks for the offer.” I stopped smiling and finally looked him in the eye.
“Thank you for helping me to clean that up. I don’t know how I would have done
all of that by myself.”
“I have no doubt you would have figured it out. All you needed
was a chair.” He hesitated a little. “I actually almost left you alone. I
wasn’t sure if you wanted me to see it.”
“What made you stay?”
“I heard you say it didn’t mean anything, and I thought you were
talking to me. I thought you were defending yourself.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize I said that out loud.” I shook my head. “I
didn’t see you until you put me on your shoulder.”
“Rebecca, I’m not sure what was going on here. Obviously someone
thought it was funny to play this . . . prank, but I don’t get it. I mean, if
it was funny, I would have left it up and laughed right along with it.” Ryan
shifted a little. “It just seemed, I don’t know, obsessive. A couple here or
there may have been set out to embarrass me, but walls?” He shook his head.
I nodded. “It seemed a little much for me, too.”
“We have to tell Matt.” My eyes snapped to his. “I know you don’t
want anyone to know about it, but we have to. Do you want me to go alone, or do
you want to come with me?”
I sighed. He was right and Matt had to be told. If for no other
reason, he needed to know about all the paper that was wasted. “I’ll go by
myself. It was my sketch.”
“But it was my face. It might not have been directed at you.”
Ryan put his hands in his pockets. “I’m not exactly a favorite around here.”
Could it have been directed at Ryan? It was his face, but it was
my office they went through to find it. “I’m not sure who they were aiming for,
but it was my office that was gone through.”
“Well, I’ll let you bring it up with Matt if that’s what you
want, but I know he’ll want to talk to me, too. I’ll just do it later.” Ryan
reached into his back pocket and brought out a couple of sheets of folded
paper. He separated them and handed me one. “Here.” It was a copy of the
sketch. I just looked at it. “It’s to show Matt.”
I took it and looked at the other folded paper he was sticking
back in his pocket. “What’s
I had sketched. I would need to look as soon as I could.
I knew Ryan was trying to make light of it and get me to smile,
but it just wasn’t happening. No matter how many references he made to
shredding his own face, complaining about a splitting headache right before
shredding another copy, or saying he liked the angle better when he picked up
one sketch upside down, I never could crack a smile for him. We took one last
look around after we had shred all the pages, and he was confident we’d gotten
them all.
Ryan insisted on walking me back to my office and had picked up
the bag I dropped along the way. It was hard to make eye contact with him after
I realized he now knew that I drew him. I knew he was my friend, and he seemed
to be handling it pretty well that his face was plastered all over the office,
but I still couldn’t look at him. I just wanted him to leave so I could check
on my other personal sketches.
“I know it’s just a sketch, and, well, it’s just what you do.” He
shrugged one shoulder. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, either, but it was
still really good. Did you have to make my nose look so big, though?” He put
his hand up to his nose.
“I don’t think it looks big.”
“Ah, she speaks. I was beginning to wonder if you shredded your
tongue along with all that paper.” He rocked back on his heels, smiling as if he
just won something. He grew serious and looked at me. “Really, Rebecca, it’s
okay that you sketched me.” He leaned forward a little. “Do you want me to
sketch you in return?”
I tried and failed to suppress a smile that time. “You told me
that’s what they hired me for and you can’t draw. I think I’ll skip that, but
thanks for the offer.” I stopped smiling and finally looked him in the eye.
“Thank you for helping me to clean that up. I don’t know how I would have done
all of that by myself.”
“I have no doubt you would have figured it out. All you needed
was a chair.” He hesitated a little. “I actually almost left you alone. I
wasn’t sure if you wanted me to see it.”
“What made you stay?”
“I heard you say it didn’t mean anything, and I thought you were
talking to me. I thought you were defending yourself.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize I said that out loud.” I shook my head. “I
didn’t see you until you put me on your shoulder.”
“Rebecca, I’m not sure what was going on here. Obviously someone
thought it was funny to play this . . . prank, but I don’t get it. I mean, if
it was funny, I would have left it up and laughed right along with it.” Ryan
shifted a little. “It just seemed, I don’t know, obsessive. A couple here or
there may have been set out to embarrass me, but walls?” He shook his head.
I nodded. “It seemed a little much for me, too.”
“We have to tell Matt.” My eyes snapped to his. “I know you don’t
want anyone to know about it, but we have to. Do you want me to go alone, or do
you want to come with me?”
I sighed. He was right and Matt had to be told. If for no other
reason, he needed to know about all the paper that was wasted. “I’ll go by
myself. It was my sketch.”
“But it was my face. It might not have been directed at you.”
Ryan put his hands in his pockets. “I’m not exactly a favorite around here.”
Could it have been directed at Ryan? It was his face, but it was
my office they went through to find it. “I’m not sure who they were aiming for,
but it was my office that was gone through.”
“Well, I’ll let you bring it up with Matt if that’s what you
want, but I know he’ll want to talk to me, too. I’ll just do it later.” Ryan
reached into his back pocket and brought out a couple of sheets of folded
paper. He separated them and handed me one. “Here.” It was a copy of the
sketch. I just looked at it. “It’s to show Matt.”
I took it and looked at the other folded paper he was sticking
back in his pocket. “What’s
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